


I Can Tell It's Spring When I See the Flowers in Bloom

by NecrodancerNexus



Category: Harvest Moon: Animal Parade, Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility
Genre: Cheating, Does not follow the game plot, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, F/M, Friendship, Jealousy, Molly is not a farmer, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Multiple, Past Character Death, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:01:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24605086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NecrodancerNexus/pseuds/NecrodancerNexus
Summary: Deeply dissatisfied with her life in the city, Molly decides to move to Castanet, a sleepy and rural island. Molly is ecstatic when she secures a position working at the town hall, as she'll have time to work towards her dream of being an author, with the added bonus of being only a short walk away from her best friend, Candace. Unfortunately for Molly, her new boss does not make her job easy, as he seems to be determined to watch her fail. As Molly adjusts to her new life in Harmonica Town, she makes memories, mistakes, meaningful friendships, and ultimately destroys relationships. Meanwhile, Gill struggles to confront the pressure placed on him by both his father and himself, as he grapples with vulnerability, honesty, and change. As Molly and Gill's lives become intertwined, what the two once saw as a relatively clear future becomes hopelessly murky.
Relationships: Gill/Luna | Ruumi (Harvest Moon), Gill/Molly | Hikari (Harvest Moon)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 11





	1. Candace

**Author's Note:**

> Let me start off by saying that this fanfic came about as a result of struggling to find the Gill fanfic that I wanted. Though there are some great ones out there, I felt that there certainly could be more. Thus, I decided I simply needed to make the fanfic I wanted to read.
> 
> That being said, this fanfic will be unapologetically self-indulgent. I do, however, hope someone else out there can find some enjoyment in reading it. As a warning, depictions of characters are bound to be different from what others envision that character as. I will also do my best to tag anything that people may find disagreeable about this story, and would thus want to avoid.
> 
> Also noteworthy is that while this fanfic is based on Animal Parade, I’m also incorporating elements from Tree of Tranquility, such as the part time job that is offered at the town hall. Oh, and Molly is not a farmer in this.
> 
> This will probably start out relatively slow. But hey, that’s why they call it a slow burn, baby.

The day that Molly met Candace was ultimately the day that her life changed both entirely and completely.

This, of course, did not happen immediately. For the first couple of years of her friendship with Candace, Molly felt that her life would remain stagnant. While she often felt dissatisfied with numerous aspects of her life, Candace managed to fill a void within Molly and thus made everything that much more bearable.

Molly had lived in the city her entire life. When she turned eighteen, she took the first opportunity presented to her to move out of her parents’ home. That house had been the center of much of her unhappiness for far too long, and she was more than eager to leave it behind. Though she had to work an unremarkable part time job to pay for it, she was content with her new apartment, small as it was. When she turned nineteen, Molly decided to enroll at a local university.

Molly had made close to perfect grades in high school, and in fact, school felt like the only thing she had ever really been good at. So, naturally, receiving a college education was the obvious path for her to take in life. Molly’s immediate inclination was to major in English, aspiring one day to be an author. Alas, she was scared away from the field by the many voices warning her of the poverty and destitution that would surely result from such a decision. Instead, she majored in chemistry, the only other subject she had enjoyed in school.

Within her first semester, Molly realized she had made a grave mistake in assuming that university would be at all similar to high school. She struggled just to make passing grades, and because she was always either studying or working, she had also failed to make any friends.

And then she met Candace.

The girl’s shimmering, almost iridescent, light blue hair stuck out amongst the crowds of students in a way that seemed counterproductive to Candace’s own desire to go unnoticed. Molly was at once intrigued by this girl who tried so desperately to blend in, not realizing that was the very thing that made her stand out. After watching the girl eat her lunch alone for days, Molly decided to approach her.

Candace immediately rejected all of Molly’s attempts at friendship. Molly, however, quickly recognized that this was out of anxiety rather than impertinence. She refused to give up on Candace, and eventually, she was able to pull some decent conversation out of the girl.

Though neither of them quite realized it, Molly and Candace became bonded to one another for the one commonality that they shared: they were both incredibly lonely.

As they grew closer, Molly learned that Candace was taking classes in the university’s sewing program, a program Molly was previously unfamiliar with. Though she knew it would only be a couple of years before Candace graduated and would thus have to return to her hometown, she never allowed herself to think about the future; it was a formidable, far off thing. Candace soon became the one aspect of university life that Molly truly enjoyed, and she was happy, even as she was frequently faced with academic failure.

Alas, eventually Candace did in fact graduate, and did in fact go back home.

Though the two were still able to communicate via their phones, Molly once again felt alone. She could not turn to her parents for comfort, and she had not put any effort into making other friends for the past two years. At twenty-one, Molly dropped out of university.

Though the fear that she had ruined her life nestled deep into her mind, it soon appeared that perhaps all was not lost after all. The night that Molly called Candace to share the news of her unenrollment was the same night that the change Candace was to bring into her life finally began to take shape.

“This is a joke… right?”

“No, I’m serious,” Candace insisted. “The job posting just opened not even a week ago and there haven’t been any applicants yet.”

Molly had at first laughed off her friend’s suggestion that she move to Harmonica Town, Candace’s sleepy and rural hometown. However, she slowly realized her friend was not at all joking.

An open plot for sale… a job posting… and one that paid fairly well, at least by Molly’s standards.

“I’m just saying… If you moved here, you could work this job and have time to write on the side. You could finally work towards your dreams. And… we could see each other every day…” The last part was added almost timidly, even though Candace had long grown out of displaying any shyness when with Molly. She knew that Candace had missed their friendship, the way it was at university, just as much as Molly herself had missed it.

“Don’t mistake my caution for disinterest, Candace, but in a way it just sounds too good to be true…” Molly was trying not to let herself get overly excited, as she knew nothing was certain.

“Why don’t you just apply for the job and see what happens? I mean… it can’t hurt.”

So, she did.

Molly applied for the open position at Harmonica Town’s very own town hall, and after only a few days, she received a phone call from the town’s mayor. She had a phone interview, a video interview, and then she had the job. Happy as she was, Molly still couldn’t quite dismiss her feelings of anxiety and overall uncertainty.

Despite this, it was not long before Molly had her bags packed and was ready to leave for Harmonica Town. She knew that her life was coming together in a way that she had always wanted it to, and this both excited and frightened her.

Unfortunately for Molly, however, she had no idea what was to come.

She never would have guessed that she was walking into a job where it was predetermined that she would fail, and she didn’t yet understand that she could be hated by someone before even having the chance to introduce herself.


	2. Luna

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  Hello, hello! I want to say thank you so much to everyone who has already expressed interest in this fanfic! I wasn’t sure how alive the Harvest Moon fandom was on here, so I was pleasantly surprised to have some of you both read and comment on the first chapter. It really means a lot!
> 
> That being said, sorry for taking roughly two months to post this second chapter. The good news is I do actually have a lot written. However, I have a very hard time writing chronologically and thus many of the chapters I have written aren’t going to come until a bit later. But boy am I excited to get there!  
> 

“Did you throw up?”

Candace was politely waiting just outside of the bathroom door. Molly’s friend had a truly kind soul; she had been with Molly since the second she got off the boat, and had taken care of unpacking almost everything while Molly sat seasick by the toilet.

Molly flung herself up from her position beside the toilet with new determination to work through her nausea.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Molly sighed as she walked out of the bathroom. There was something much worse about not being able to throw up rather than just getting it over with. “I’m sorry for being such a baby. I swear I’ve never met anyone who is as prone to motion sickness as I am…”

“Here, have another ginger candy.”

Molly had already eaten two, but she didn’t want to reject her friend’s kindness. She plopped the candy into her mouth as she likewise plopped herself next to Candace on the floor. Candace had taken on the daunting task of sorting through Molly’s books, arranging them into piles based on both genre and author.

“Candace, you really don’t have to do all of this. Besides, I have never in my life organized my bookshelf. I just put them where they’ll fit.”

“It’s no bother, really. I want to help. Plus, being organized will make this move a lot less stressful for you!”

“Come on, you can just tell me that you think my slovenly ways need to change,” Molly teased.

Candace’s face reddened slightly as she insisted, “Oh no, I don’t think you’re messy!”

Molly only chuckled in response; Candace would never say anything to hurt her feelings, even if what she said was the honest truth. Maybe in certain situations that could be a problem, but Molly appreciated Candace’s kind and soft nature. She hadn’t met anyone else who was so concerned for the feelings of others and that genuinely touched Molly.

“Why don’t we call it a day?” Molly laid herself out flat on the floor as her newfound determination was already being subdued by another powerful wave of nausea. “We’ve already got a lot done and there’s plenty of time to get the rest of this shit later.”

“Sure, if that’s what you want. As long as you’ll be ready for –”

“Candace,” Molly interrupted the girl, as she already knew what she was going to say. “You know I wouldn’t miss your party for anything.”

“I know,” Candace smiled warmly. “But it’s not really a party… just a small gathering.”

“Who all am I meeting again?” Molly yawned back.

“Oh, let’s see… I’ve invited Julius, Wizard, Kathy, Selena, Luke… oh, and Luna will of course be there. Grandmother, however, will be out of town for the next few days.”

“Well, I for one am more than thrilled at the prospect of meeting your friends and family. Hopefully you haven’t talked me up too much; I like to maintain an air of mystery when meeting new people.”

“I’ve only told them what a wonderful friend you have been to me,” assured Candace. “Um, but… just as a heads up about Luna…”

“Yes?” Molly lifted her head up slightly so she could analyze her friend’s expression.

“It’s just… she can sometimes be a little… blunt? I don’t know if that’s the right word. But whatever she says, she does mean well.”

“Oh goddess, should I be worried?”

“Oh no, no!” Candace waved her hands with insistence. “I think you two will get along, really. Just, other people have said that she can be… intimidating is all.”

“Intimidating? Didn’t you say she’s like, five feet tall with baby pink hair? That is not my idea of intimidating.”

“Ah, well good…” Candace sounded nervous and Molly couldn’t quite figure out why. “Then it’ll be fine. You’ll be fast friends with everyone, I’m sure.”

Molly now sat up fully and clutched at her stomach. The nausea was definitely from the boat ride, but it was probably heightened by the nervousness she felt about everything, especially the “gathering.” She didn’t want to let Candace onto her anxiety, as she knew that would in turn only make Candace anxious as well.

“Oh, yeah. And my boss… isn’t he your sister’s boyfriend?”

“Fiancé,” Candace gently corrected.

“Right. Wait, why isn’t he coming if he’s your sister’s fiancé?”

“He’s just going to be busy is all.”

“Well, okay. What’s he like, then? Is he also intimidating? Should I be worried about getting along with him as well?”

“Um…” Candace’s gaze wandered away to elsewhere in the room. The reaction made Molly feel suddenly worse; the last thing she needed was someone who was going to make her life difficult at work.

“What? Does he suck? Is he an asshole? Am I going to have a horrible time?”

“No!” Candace quickly reassured. “He’s fine, really. Ah, um, but you know, also a bit blunt at times. But in a different way from Luna? As long as you show you’re serious about the job, he’ll like you.”

“Great,” Molly moaned. “Why do I get the feeling that socializing is going to be the hardest part of this move?”

“Sorry, I’m really not trying to worry you…”

“No, it’s fine. I’d rather you prepare me than leave me in the dark. And hey, at least I’ll have you at my side!” Molly was attempting to lighten the mood before it could sour.

“Of course,” Candace replied with a smile.

“Now, could you so kindly tuck me into bed? I think I’ll need a nap before I unpack anything else.”

Three days had gone by since Molly moved to Castanet, and most of her time had unfortunately been spent inside of her house unpacking. She had, however, been able to explore a bit of the outside in her downtime. Though she still had her doubts about whether or not she was going to fit into such a tight knit community, her feelings of anxiety were softened by the sheer beauty of the island. Molly had never been anywhere so verdant; and not only was the island lush with greenery, but the beaches were also stunning. Such a mix of forests and seashores seemed surreal to her. The island also had plenty of wildlife, but so far Molly’s favorite animals were some of the stray cats that wandered about. She had already decided that she would later set some food out in an attempt to befriend them.

As for the house itself, Molly really couldn’t complain. The home was relatively cheap; sure, she had now accumulated a bit more debt, but who wasn't drowning in debt these days? She didn't mind that the house was small, because is was also everything that she needed. She had a place to sleep, a place to cook, and a place to write. Castanet seemed like it would be beneficial to Molly’s creativity, as she had a perfect view of the sea directly from her writing desk. The house also came with a space for gardening, as supposedly the plot had previously belonged to a farmer. Molly herself was of course no farmer, but she wasn’t opposed to making some use of the garden space. Perhaps she could grow some squash and potatoes… or even some herbs and flowers. Sure, all of the house plants she had ever owned always seemed to meet premature deaths, but perhaps gardening would be different.

Since Molly had been mostly confined to the space of her new house, she hadn’t really met many of the townspeople yet. She knew Pascal from the boat, and had met the mayor, Hamilton, immediately upon her arrival. Both men seemed nice enough, if not a bit eccentric. She had also run into a man named Toby, who apparently didn’t find it strange to go fishing at the lake right beside her house. The boy seemed ridiculously easygoing, though, so Molly didn’t really mind if he hung around.

The sun was setting when Molly had just finished applying her makeup and heard a knock at her door. Candace, she presumed. It was finally the night of the party, or gathering, as Candace kept calling it. Molly knew that this was what would really set her life in Castanet into motion. Would the townspeople like her? Would she be able to make new friends? Would she fit in with Candace’s social group? Maybe her worries seemed trivial, but Molly knew that on an island as small as Castanet, whether or not she could integrate into the community would drastically impact her new life.

Nonetheless, Molly took a deep breath and momentarily pushed all of her anxiety aside. With one last fluff to her hair, she was ready to go.

Molly’s immediate goal at the party was to get tipsy. She knew that alcohol would loosen her up, but likewise knew that too much could cause her to make an ass of herself. Thus, she had to find the perfect balance of drinking that would make her sociable, yet still a well-behaved party guest.

So far Molly had met Julius, Wizard, Luke, and Kathy. All of them were extremely outgoing, excluding Wizard, who was much quieter than the rest. This didn’t bother Molly, however, as Wizard’s calm attitude was refreshing in comparison to the overly energetic nature of the other guests.

“I have been trying to get Candace to take shots with me for ages,” Julius was saying to Molly as Candace stood sheepishly at his side. “But she just won’t do it! All she ever takes is little tiny, _baby_ sips of wine. Tell her Molly, shouldn’t she have more fun?”

“I don’t know,” Molly cautioned with a laugh. “I’ve seen Candace throw up from some of those little sips of wine.”

“M-molly!” Candace stuttered as her face reddened.

“What?!” Julius’ eyes suddenly widened. “You’ve actually drunk enough to get _sick_ before? You never get sick with me!”

“That’s because I don’t _want_ to get sick,” Candace retorted.

Molly took their playful argument as an opportunity to take a break from the conversation for just a moment. She was honestly impressed with how well Julius held his liquor; he didn’t even seem drunk, and it instead appeared that his lively energy was just who he was.

Molly decided to take a seat next to Wizard, who was relaxing on the sofa with a glass of water.

“Hi again,” Molly chimed. “Sobering up already?”

“No, actually, I don’t drink,” he replied coolly. “I don’t like to be distracted or unfocused.”

“Fair enough,” Molly replied.

“Are you having a good time?”

“Who, me? Of course, everyone here is super friendly.”

“If not a bit much to handle?”

“Ah,” Molly blinked at the man. “That easy to tell?”

Wizard shrugged. “No, I just remember what it felt like when I met everyone for the first time.”

“Well, that makes me feel a bit better. I’m just feeling a little pressure. I want Candace’s friends to like me, you know?”

“Of course you do,” he nodded. Wizard wasn’t exactly reassuring her that everyone did in fact like her, but the way he spoke somehow put Molly at ease. The night had gone well so far, and Molly sincerely liked everyone she had met. She was finally beginning to feel that perhaps she had been worrying over nothing.

Then, there was a knock at the door.

“It’s about damn time!” Luke bellowed from across the room. He was certainly the most enthusiastic of the bunch.

The front door suddenly flung open and there in the doorway stood two women. One woman had sparkling auburn hair, olive skin, and was wearing garbs of deep purple that glimmered in the light. Judging by the way Luke ran to the woman, Molly was guessing that she was Luke’s girlfriend: also known as Selena.

And then there was the other woman. Quite short for a lady of her age, just as Candace had said, and instantly given away by the voluminous, pink pigtails upon her head. She looked youthful, perhaps even childish, with her flower hairclips and frilly summer dress. Yet, Molly could immediately identify that this outward appearance did not quite match the vibe that was coming off of the girl.

Luna wasn’t jumping about the room with Luke and Selena, and instead directed her gaze towards Molly. The way she so easily held eye contact with a stranger gave Luna an air of authority that Molly couldn’t quite explain. In that moment, she understood why Candace had said some people found Luna to be intimidating.

But Molly wasn’t here to be intimidated. She wanted to make a good impression on the girl, as it was important to her that she got along with Candace’s sister. Molly stood up from the sofa to make her way over to Luna, but once Luna registered that Molly was attempting to approach her, she casually turned away.

“Sorry we’re late, Candy.” Luna strutted over to where Candace stood with Julius. This was close enough to Molly that she could have easily inserted herself into the conversation, but with Luna’s back to her, she felt too awkward to do so.

“You know how Selena can be,” Luna continued. “Can’t ever get her to be anywhere on time!”

“As opposed to you, who is always on time?” Julius playfully provoked.

“Don’t be sorry, we haven’t even really done much yet.” Molly saw the way Candace looked at Luna and recognized that these two sisters had a familial bond that she herself had never experienced. Despite being ignored by Luna, Molly’s heart was warmed by the fact that Candace had such a good relationship with her family.

“Molly, come meet Luna!” Candace was nice enough to recognize that Molly was uncomfortably hovering near them and so she waved her over.

“Oh, so _you’re_ Molly!” Luna whipped around to face her with a suddenness that caught Molly a bit off guard. “I knew I didn’t recognize you, yet it didn’t even occur to me that you were our guest of honor.”

Molly wasn’t sure if Luna was just being conversational or intentionally rude, but she held her hand out to the woman nonetheless.

“Yes, that’s me. It’s nice to finally meet Candace’s sister.”

Luna was either pretending or really hadn’t seen Molly put out her hand. Molly quickly put it down before she could let herself become embarrassed.

“So, you’re the one who is going to be working for my fiancé?”

“Oh, yeah, I’ll be at the town hall starting the day after tomorrow.”

“Wow, how exciting! Are you nervous?”

Molly tried to let herself relax a bit; Luna was intense, but at least she was trying to make conversation with Molly.

“Honestly? Yeah, a little bit” she confessed with a nervous chuckle.

“Ah, well, Gill’s not going to like that,” Luna smirked.

“Luna!” Candace had obviously recognized that Luna was in fact being rude, which made Molly feel a little less confused, but all the more irritated.

“What?” Luna laughed off the reprimand. “I’m just trying to help the girl out. If I were you, I’d make sure to at least _pretend_ to have some confidence.”

“I’ll remember that, thanks.” Molly responded before Candace had the chance to defend her again. She was determined not to let Luna get the best of her so easily. Perhaps it was just in Luna’s nature to speak condescendingly to others, and Molly didn’t need to take it so personally.

“Of course! What was it that you got your degree in again?”

It was a basic question but it instantly pissed Molly off. Surely Candace had mentioned that Molly was a college drop out. That was the driving force behind her decision to move to Castanet, so it seemed odd that Luna wouldn’t already know. Molly wanted to think that she was simply overreacting, but something about the grin on Luna’s face told her that the question was in fact asked with the intent to upset her.

“Chemistry.” Molly didn’t want to give Luna the satisfaction of hearing her say she didn’t finish school.

“Oh, truly?” Luna’s smile widened ever so slightly.

“Molly’s writing a book now,” Candace interjected. Molly appreciated her friend, but she also wished Candace would just let the conversation die so that she could retreat back to the sofa with Wizard.

“A book?” Julius suddenly chimed in. He hadn’t appeared to be paying attention to the conversation up until that moment. “Oh, do tell. What kind of book is it going to be? A romance novel? A memoir, perhaps?”

“A memoir?” Luna laughed a bit too loudly. “As if she has enough life experience to write a memoir. Oh, no offense of course. I just mean because you’re so young.”

“It’s not a memoir,” Molly snapped. She was finding it harder and harder not to show her agitation, which she could tell was much to Luna’s delight.

“Julius, if you want to read a good memoir, convince Gill to write one. He has so many interesting experiences for a man of his age, and definitely has the potential to be a truly great author.”

Julius said something in response but Molly had stopped listening. Now that Luna was directing her comments to someone else, Molly let Candace know she was going to step away to use the restroom. She didn’t come out for at least fifteen minutes, not even caring whether or not everyone at the party suspected that she was either throwing up or defecating.

Molly was able to avoid conversation with Luna for the rest of the night, as Luna mostly stayed by Selena’s side. Molly tried to stay around Wizard and Julius, as they made her feel the most comfortable. They were Candace’s closest friends out of the bunch, and Molly could tell that she was definitely going to get along with them.

Eventually, it grew later and people began to go home. Once Julius left, only Molly, Candace, and Luna remained. As soon as this was the case, Molly announced her intent to leave as well.

“Oh wait, there’s something I want to give you before you go! Wait right here.” Candace skittered upstairs, leaving Molly and Luna temporarily alone together.

Knowing Candace, this was probably on purpose. Candace was likely disappointed that the two hadn’t talked more, but Molly really didn’t know how to talk to Luna and honestly didn’t want to. Yet, for the sake of her friend, she summoned every ounce of effort left in her body.

“So, what school did you study at? Candace says –”

“I don’t feel like small talk,” Luna interrupted, looking down at her fingernails rather than at Molly.

“Oh, alright. Sorry.” Molly was now at a complete loss. She had tried with Luna, so her part was done. She would sit in awkward silence if it meant avoiding unpleasant conversation.

“I don’t know you,” Luna announced after a moment of not speaking. “I don’t even know if I like you.” Well, at least that wasn’t a definitive _I don’t like you._

“However,” Luna elaborated. “Regardless of those two facts, you were there for Candace when I couldn’t be. So, thank you for that.”

Molly was genuinely shocked to hear the words of gratitude come out of Luna’s mouth. Suddenly, she felt some of the hostility in the air melt away.

“Oh, don’t thank me! Candace was just as much there for me as I was –”

“That’s all I want to say about the matter,” Luna cut Molly off once again.

“Right, okay,” Molly nodded. It was obvious that it would take some time before things could become friendly between herself and Luna.

As silence refilled the room, Molly felt conflicted about her feelings towards Luna. She kind of liked that the girl was so confident, but she was also irritated at just _how_ confident she behaved. Molly also appreciated the girl’s honesty, in a way, but disliked that Luna had such little regard for other people’s feelings. This is where Luna was very different from her sister. Yet, despite their differences, it was obvious that she cared deeply for Candace. Maybe Luna’s fierceness was in fact a good thing; maybe that was what Candace had needed growing up.

“Also,” Luna spoke up once more. “I’m going to tell you this because I know Candace won’t.”

“Okay…” Molly suddenly felt herself grow anxious all over again.

“Gill doesn’t want you to work for him. You should know right now that he’s not going to like you.”

“Wait, what?” Molly’s fears were becoming real, yet she didn’t quite understand what was happening. “Why? What have I done wrong?”

“Gill has been handling the town hall duties on his own up until now. The only reason you were hired is because Hamilton thinks Gill has been overworking himself. Thus, your existence is kind of an insult to him.”

Molly was at a loss for words. She had only applied for a job; how was she supposed to know she was “insulting” somebody by doing so? Was this man really going to hate her because of a decision his father had made?

“My advice to you is to stay out of his way. Do what he says, and only speak to him when necessary. Don’t try to be friendly. Don’t make any mistakes.”

“But I – ”

“Sorry, I finally found it!” Candace suddenly came trotting down the steps with a blanket in her arms. Molly had thought that maybe Candace was listening in on her conversation with Luna, but once Molly saw her face, she knew that wasn’t the case. Besides, it wasn’t in Candace’s nature to eavesdrop.

“Since it’s kind of hot out right now, I thought you could use this. It’s supposed to be one of those cooling blankets, made completely of flax linen! I had grandmother make it for you.”

“Thank you Candace, you really didn’t have to…” Molly trailed off, as her brain was still trying to process everything Luna had just said to her.

Molly wasn’t able to finish her conversation with Luna, but was nonetheless relieved to finally be able to go home. It really had been a fun night, for the most part, but the ending had certainly soured her mood. She looked towards the town hall, which could be seen from Candace and Luna’s home. Was anything Luna said even true? Was Luna just trying to scare her?

Two more days and Molly would find out.


	3. Gill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, I am so sorry it has been almost five months since I’ve updated this. I started grad school this semester, and it has been really difficult, and of course, time consuming. I’m going to try to write as much as possible while I’m on break because I’m really excited for some of the chapters that are to come. I love Gill so much and I’m really looking forward to fleshing out his character in a way that speaks to how I see him. In this chapter, I’m trying out something that I’ll be doing every so often: a point of view change! I’ve got to let Gill take hold of the narration at least every once in a while.
> 
> Once again, thank you so much to everyone who has expressed interest in this fic. You guys are the best and I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Today was the day Gill had been dreading for weeks now: the new hire’s first day on the job. Gill had a mix of emotions in regards to the arrival of the new employee. On one hand, part of him did actually want the help, at least to an extent. He was well aware that he had been spending more and more of his nights at work, and the loss of sleep was an obvious strain on both his mind and his body. Not only had his father been expressing concern, but Luna was also constantly on his case for breaking off date plans.

However, another part of Gill remembered what it was like to work with Elli. He would have less to do, yes, but he knew that the addition of another person at work would exhaust him in an entirely different way. Elli was a sweet woman, and after everything she had done for both him and his father, Gill didn’t like to speak badly of her. Regardless of that, Gill knew how he wanted things done, and having to constantly teach and correct another person would inevitably slow him down. Based on what he had seen on the new hire’s résumé, he knew she would need more help than Elli ever did.

Above all, what Gill was feeling the most was insulted. He knew he had a tendency to overwork himself, but he didn't dislike that about himself. The only thing that did matter to him was proving that he was the best person to take up the role of mayor once his father retired. Gill had worked his ass off for almost a year now to show his father that he could in fact handle all of the town hall responsibilities on his own. When Elli eventually left, Gill took on her duties before his father even had the chance to consider hiring a replacement. Not _once_ had Gill made a mistake at work; in Gill’s opinion, things went better when he worked alone. There was no doubt that his work performance had been flawless; the townspeople never issued complaints, he always completed his work on time if not early, and the town continued to flourish under his advice.

So, why then, did his father suddenly hire a talentless, skilless nobody from nowhere to hinder all of his hard work?

Insulted. That was definitely one word to describe how Gill felt. However, what he could not, or simply would not, put a word to was the _insecurity_ it roused within him. No matter how perfectly he did everything, it never seemed to be good enough. His father never voiced any dissatisfaction or disappointment, but Gill knew it was there. He couldn’t quite explain it, but he knew he had not yet done enough to prove his worth. The addition of another employee only confirmed that.

Gill hadn’t yet decided how he was going to deal with the new hire. He was well aware that she was Candace’s close friend, which meant he would likely be seeing her both within and without of his work life. Yet, he couldn’t look past the fact that she met _zero_ of the requirements necessary for the job. There was nothing in him that wanted to give her an easy time; if she were determined to work a job she wasn’t prepared for, she would simply have to suffer the consequences of that mistake. Furthermore, if she couldn’t handle the job, then that most likely meant she would quit. Once that happened, things could resume back to normal for Gill.

Gill glanced down at his wristwatch; it would be another hour before she showed up. If she were even a minute late, it would only confirm all of the preconceptions Gill had about the woman. He didn’t know much about her beyond the minimal (and unimpressive) information provided on her résumé, but a figure had already begun to take shape in his mind. It was a figure he had been throwing mental daggers at all week.

Breaking Gill from his thoughts was the sudden creak of the town hall’s door.

Gill’s head snapped upwards. There in the doorway was a woman he had never seen before, and suddenly the figure he had created in his mind melted away. The woman in front of him was nothing like what he had imagined, and for a moment, he couldn’t do anything but stare blankly at her.

The woman returned his blank stare, which shifted into surprise, and then embarrassment.

“Oh, uh, g-good morning!” She bowed dramatically, obviously flustered. Gill snapped out of his own surprise and raised an eyebrow at her in response.

“Who are you?” It was meant as a question, but sounded more like a demand coming from Gill’s mouth.

“Molly…?” The answer had a hint of annoyance in it, which she must have let out as an accident since she quickly followed it up with, “Ah, uh, I’m here for the town clerk position.”

Gill narrowed his eyes at her. “You are unreasonably early.” He had been banking on her being late, and it irritated him that she was instead early. However, there was no need for her to be there an entire hour early, so he decided he could give her some grief for that instead.

“I know, I’m sorry.” Molly hesitated for a moment, as if she were trying to decide on what excuses she could give Gill.

“Honestly, I was just nervous. I thought you would be in your office and maybe wouldn’t notice if I got here so early.” She spoke with a bit more of a relaxed tone. Choosing to give an honest answer was something Gill could appreciate, but what he didn’t appreciate was her attempt to be laidback with him so quickly.

“If I were in my office, who the hell would be running the front desk? I unlock the doors as soon as I get here, so officially open or not, someone could walk in at any time.”

Molly’s face showed that she was obviously caught off guard by Gill’s response, which pleased him. She would learn _very_ quickly that this was not the place to relax.

Gill swiftly rose from his seated position behind the desk, and walked towards Molly.

“If you’re going to get here early, then you can work early. I’m not going to have you sitting around and wasting time.”

“Of course, that’s what I’m here for.” It was a good answer, but once again, Molly’s voice ever so slightly betrayed her annoyance. She was going to have to try a lot harder to keep her emotions under wraps if she didn’t want Gill to know he was already getting the best of her.

“Sit down.” He gestured towards the chair he had just been sitting in. Gill had already decided that his relationship with Molly would be nothing like his relationship with Elli; he could tell there was a defiant nature hiding within this girl, and he wanted her to understand that she was in no position to challenge his authority.

Molly silently did as she was told, careful not to betray further irritation. As she moved past him to take her place behind the front desk, he immediately noticed that the brief but close proximity of her body to his bothered him. Something about her was unsettling… he certainly wasn’t afraid of or intimidated by her, but there was definitely another feeling he couldn’t quite put a name to. He pushed the feeling away, deciding it was probably a result of some kind of natural incompatibility that existed between the two.

“As town clerk, you have several basic duties. Obviously, greeting visitors and answering phone calls are given requirements. However, you’ll also be responsible for storing records, maintaining and transcribing other pertinent documents, preparing agendas, and when necessary, taking notes at council meetings.”

Molly was nodding her head at everything Gill was saying, but he could see a panicked look steadily creeping onto her face. He suspected she had no idea what exactly her job was, but Gill felt no need to give her anything beyond these vague and quick descriptions of her duties, at least not at the present moment. If she needed help, she would have to learn to ask for it. He wasn’t going to baby her.

“If someone comes in for any type of license or permit, and I do mean _any_ type, you will not issue it. Only I do that. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Molly nodded again.

“Write something down."

“Huh?”

“Write something down. You know, with a pen and some paper.” Gill pointed down at a notepad that was laying on the desk.

“Oh right, of course. Just, uh, write anything?”

“Yes, anything.” He made a point of rolling his eyes at her. “A couple of words or so.”

Molly hesitated for a moment, obviously confused as to why she was being asked to do this, but then did as she was told. She quickly scribbled down the phrase “a couple of words or so,” and handed the notepad back to Gill. If she thought she was being clever, he was not amused.

Gill stared at the writing for the briefest of seconds before he carelessly tossed the notepad back down.

“Goddess, your handwriting is atrocious. Practicing legible writing has now become one of your new duties. There’s no point in you taking notes if I can’t read them.”

Molly’s face immediately reddened. Ah, so he _was_ getting to her. Gill predicted it would only be a week or so before she decided she couldn’t handle the job. He definitely enjoyed how easily he could upset her. And in pure fairness, Gill wasn’t lying about the handwriting. It really was atrocious.

Gill waited for Molly to backtalk, but she didn’t.

“Sure, I can do that,” was the only response she gave, delivered with little emotion.

Gill was a bit disappointed that she was trying so hard be an obedient employee, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he could break her. If she couldn’t accept Gill as an authority over her, she wouldn’t survive her new job.

Gill spent the next few moments explaining the rest of Molly’s duties, though in minimal detail. When he felt he had covered everything he wanted to verbally address, he retrieved a training manual he had prepared for her.

“Here,” he handed the thick notebook to Molly, who once again looked lost.

When she didn’t immediately reach out to take the manual, Gill laid it down beside her and crossed his arms.

“What, can’t you read? Or did you drop out of school before they got around to teaching you that?” Gill knew he was being unfair by bringing that point up in this particular moment, but he wanted to make her aware of his dissatisfaction with her lack of qualifications as soon as possible.

As Molly’s cheeks now flamed a much deeper red, Gill knew that comment was what would finally push her over the edge for the day.

Molly aggressively stood up from her seat. Facing Gill, she paused for a moment, obviously trying to regain her composure.

“How did you –” She began to huff, but Gill cut her off.

“Did you seriously think I wouldn’t know that you were a college drop out just because it wasn’t written down on your résumé? Do you really think I would let someone waltz in here and work for me without knowing such a crucial piece of information?” His words were cold, but his voice was emotionless. He was happy to sit back and let Molly make a fool of herself if that was what she wanted.

Molly stood facing him in silence for a moment longer, and slowly, her face began to return to its original color. She sat back down and grabbed the manual that had been laying on the desk.

“So _this_ is what’s training me, not you?” Unsurprisingly, she wasn’t able to hide the anger from her voice. Gill let the disrespect go for the moment; he was still pretty pleased that he had so easily ruffled her.

“Yes, I obviously don’t have time to waste on training you. I’ve already wasted enough time writing you this guidebook. If you can read, you’ll be fine. But I would suggest reading it now, from cover to finish, before the week starts to get busy.”

“Okay.” Molly opened the manual and avoided looking anywhere but at the words below her.

“Right, then that’s all I have to say. I’ll be in my office for most of the day, so don’t bother me unless you find it absolutely necessary.” Gill didn’t wait for a response as he turned towards the stairs.

“You know, it’s kind of funny.”

He stopped mid-step and turned his head back towards Molly.

“What on earth could possibly be funny right now?” He was genuinely startled to hear her suddenly speak up, but masked that behind the exasperation in his question.

“You said that knowing I’m a college drop out was crucial information, yet, I still got the job.”

Gill stood completely still, not yet fully processing what Molly was trying to imply.

She looked up and into his eyes, flashing him an amused grin. “Sorry, I was just thinking how funny it is that you would _need_ to know something like that if, in the end, it had no affect on my ability to get this job.” She let out a snicker before adding, “You must have not had much say in my hiring if it bothers you that I’m a drop out, right?”

Gill felt something in his mind snap.

“What the hell do you think –”

“Oh, sorry, was that rude? I really didn’t mean for it to come across that way.” Molly tried to feign innocence, which only further angered Gill.

So that was it, huh? Molly thought she had found some weak spot in Gill. It may have been true that he did not, in fact, have much control over her hiring. However, if she thought he couldn’t have her fired just because his father was technically the one who hired her, she was dead wrong. He refused to let her take the upper hand in this conversation.

“I’m so glad to hear that.” Gill regained his composure much more quickly than Molly had been able to. “Because if you _were_ trying to be rude to your boss on your first day of work, I could only assume that meant you didn’t actually want this job. If that ever is the case, I’ll be sure to let my father know immediately.” Gill didn’t return Molly’s smile; she could play nice if she wanted to, but he had no desire to do so.

“I promise I have no intention of leaving.” Molly returned her gaze to the manual below her. “Thank you for your help today.”

“You can thank me when you show me that you can successfully do your job.” Gill turned towards the stairs once again, and this time, he didn’t stop walking until he was in his office. With the door closed behind him, he took a moment to think.

Molly wasn’t quite what Gill had expected; her incompetence was clear, but he hadn’t anticipated her attitude. If she wanted to make this job harder on herself, he would gladly oblige. It would certainly make his days more interesting, that was for sure. Yes, interesting was a good word to describe Molly… but whether or not Gill liked that about her was something only time could tell, and so far, things weren’t looking good.


End file.
